Gluten Free Cheesy Pan Pizza

[patriceinil]

This comes from the King Arthur website found in the gluten free recipes section

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipe ... zza-recipe

Gluten-Free Pan Pizza
Crispy and cheesy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, this recipe captures everything we love about pan pizza. Whether you follow our topping suggestions (or get creative with your own enhancements — see tips below), you’ll gladly keep this recipe in your pizza-baking repertoire.

This recipe is a gluten-free version of our 2020 Recipe of the Year, Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza. The methods and ingredients in the two recipes are distinctly different, but don’t worry; this gluten-free pizza is every bit as tasty as the original.

PREP
25 mins

BAKE
22 to 27 mins

TOTAL
2 hrs 25 mins

YIELD
one 10" to 11" pizza

Gluten-Free Pan Pizza
Ingredients

Crust

1 3/4 cups (273g) King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons (14g) nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon (6g) table salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup (227g) water, lukewarm
2 tablespoons (25g) olive oil plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (18g) olive oil, for the pan
1 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
Topping

6 ounces (170g) mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups, loosely packed)*
1/3 to 1/2 cup (74g to 113g) tomato sauce or pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought
freshly grated hard cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Romano), optional
fresh herbs (oregano, basil, thyme), optional
*Cheeses that melt well like Fontina, cheddar, Jack, provolone, Gouda, and Muenster are also all good options.

Instructions

Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

To make the crust: Place the dry ingredients (except the yeast) into the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Mix until thoroughly blended.

Place the warm water, 2 tablespoons (25g) olive oil, yeast, and a scant 1 cup of the dry mixture into a small bowl. Stir to combine; a few lumps are OK. Set aside for 30 minutes or so, until the mixture is bubbly and smells yeasty.

Add this mixture to the remaining dry ingredients and beat on medium-high speed for 4 minutes using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. The mixture will be thick and sticky, but not elastic; it won't feel like regular yeast dough. Note: You must use an electric mixer to make this dough; mixing by hand doesn't do a thorough enough job.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes or so.

Pour the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (18g) olive oil into a cast-iron skillet that’s 10” to 11” diameter across the top, and about 9” across the bottom. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom with the oil. This heavy, dark pan will give you superb crust; but if you don’t have a cast-iron pan, use a 10” round cake pan, a 9” square pan, or other oven-safe, similar-sized, heavy-bottomed skillet.

Scrape the dough from the bowl into the pan. Starting at the center of the dough and working outward toward the edges, use your wet fingers to press the dough to fill the bottom of the pan.

Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, place one rack at the bottom of the oven and one toward the top (about 4" to 5" from the top heating element). Preheat the oven to 375°F.

When you’re ready to bake the pizza, scatter about three-quarters of the mozzarella (a scant 1 cup) evenly over the crust. Cover the entire crust right to the edge, so the cheese will become deep golden brown and crispy as the pizza bakes. Dollop small spoonfuls of the sauce over the cheese (putting the cheese on first will prevent the top of the crust from getting soggy under the sauce) then sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella.

Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 20 to 22 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom and edges of the crust are golden brown (use a spatula to check the bottom). If the bottom is brown but the top still seems pale, transfer the pizza to the top rack and bake for 3 to 5 minutes longer. On the other hand, if the top seems fine but the bottom's not browned to your liking, leave the pizza on the bottom rack for another 2 to 4 minutes. Home ovens can vary a lot, so use the visual cues and your own preferences to gauge when you’ve achieved the perfect bake. You'll notice the pizza has shrunk away from the sides of the pan, and perhaps deflated a bit; that's OK.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Carefully run a spatula between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools.

If desired, sprinkle freshly grated hard cheese and fresh herbs over the hot pizza. Let the pizza cool briefly, and as soon as you feel comfortable doing so transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack or cutting surface. Serve pizza hot or warm.

Store any leftovers, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for a day or so; freeze for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers

Want to add your own favorite toppings beyond sauce and cheese? Vegetables or meats should be cooked before arranging them in a single layer atop cheese and sauce. Feel free to experiment with other sauces, too; pesto or white sauce (made with gluten-free flour) are great alternatives to tomato. One hint: To avoid potential sogginess, stick to the same quantities and layering process for sauce and cheese listed above.

My alterations are as follows:
Substitution of 1/4 cup of gluten free flour with 1/4 cup of sorghum flour

I added additional oil to the skillet to get a crispier crust and I also increased the baking temperature to 450*F for the first 10 minutes then dropped the temperature down to 425* for the remaining 10-15 minutes to achieve a really crispy crust.

I layered my ingredients as follows:
Cheese, toppings like pepperoni, sausage, vegetables etc, pizza sauce and then a good amount of finely shredded (shelf stable shaker jar type) Parmesan Romano cheese

[Farmfresh]

So this makes like a Chicago Deep dish style pizza? I have honestly never had one of those.

[patriceinil]

Yes it’s a deep dish style pizza FF

[Farmfresh]

I SEE recipes like this for pizza and think about them... then I open my wallet and CALL for delivery. I am just too lazy and the GF pizza down the road from me is just TOO good.

[patriceinil]

It’s worth the effort especially when a pizza like that would be at least $30

[Farmfresh]

They are and to me ... it still isn't. I just eat fewer pizzas that I would like to and a lot more left overs to make up for it when I do get pizza.

[patriceinil]

Honestly the dough seems like it’s a lot of work but it really isn’t. It just takes time for the proofing and rising.

[Farmfresh]

I know. I used to be a baker and did pizza and other things all the time. These days I just get too disappointed in the GF failures. You have a lot of tenacity and just keep trying stuff until it comes out right. I just want to chuck a failure out the door and go someplace to scream. Now I am at a point where I have had SO MANY GF baking failures it really effects me even trying. I have a few mixes that I will use that seem to work and will try a few things (like biscuits) rarely when all seems bright and I am REALLY craving, but the rest of the time... I tend to just skip it. I do try the batter type recipes more often. They seem to turn out more often... like that crockpot cake. I could probably accomplish that. I found a recipe for a pizza crust that is a pour on the pan batter then pre-baked. Someday when I have the motivation I may try that one.

[patriceinil]

Honestly give this recipe a try, you’ll love it. I’m trying to get Imgur to load a picture but it’s being difficult as usual.

[patriceinil]

Here is what it looked like when I made it the other day